Monday, September 26, 2005

Executive Board Hears Tale of Done Deal

Tonight’s Executive Board meeting sent a clear message. We are not only to accept a contract based on the fact-finding report we are taking the report as our contract. With one modification it appears that a contract has all but been signed.

At the Executive Board meeting Weingarten reported on her one hour bargaining session today letting out that the City is ready to drop the fact-finder’s demand for 10 free coverages in the secondary schools for our allowing them to implement the Lead Teacher Postitions provisions slated in the fact-finder’s report to be used in the future.

While the fact-finding is, on a whole, anti-union and anti-teacher, the Lead Teacher Position provisions stand out as examples of how badly this Mayor wants to destroy our Union.

At page 49 of the fact-finding Lead Teacher Positions “would select some of the City/DOE’s most talented teachers and place them in high-need schools. The lead teacher position financially rewards teachers who are particularly effective in the classroom.”

Merit pay based on what standard? The fact-finders answer that question.

“We recommend, however, that the Chancellor have the authority to select the schools in which lead teachers shall be placed as well as to determine the total number of lead teacher positions to be created.”

Checkmate! Not only do we get merit pay (lead teachers will make $10,000 per year more) but the DOE gets to put these UFT/AP’s in any school they want. There goes any right to your position.

Do you think after we give up grieving letters to the file we will be able to grieve involuntary transfers of lead teachers, selection of lead teachers or any aspect of this merit pay policy?

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Randi Weingarten must be on Klein/Bloomberg's payroll.

She must be receiving a large sum of money because she is selling us down the river big time.

It is as if she and management are one and the same.

If this contract gets voted in by our membership, then I am quitting.

Anonymous said...

It's over; it would seem it's done. What can we do?

Reality-Based Educator said...

Can we organize a huge protest of UFT members outside UFT headquarters if Weingarten shoves this abortion through for a vote?

I think if we had thousands of UFT members letting Randi and the rest of the membership know that we believe she sold us down the river, we might be able to galvanize opinion on this and vote the contract down.

NYC Educator said...

I have a question--is this "lead teacher" an option for any teachers who wish to whore themselves out for it? Or can they simply dump it on you whether you like it or not?

Anyone know?

Reality-Based Educator said...

That's a good question. I actually heard one veteran today ready to whore himself out for the extra ten grand. He shut up quick after he realized he was talking to the wrong crowd, but I bet there will be more than a few votes for the contract by the whores who want the extra money to be mayoral lackeys.

NYC Educator said...

But what I need to know is this:
Do you have the right to decline this position?

If the principal gives it to you out of spite, because you're a good teacher with an inconveniently big mouth, have you got any recourse?

NYC Educator said...

Also, I don't see this as merit pay through the back door--it's right out there. But it doesn't seem worth it. I may be for sale, but personally, I won't whore myself out that cheap.

Anonymous said...

remember a vehicle when I was a young woman. I allowed myself to be tricked into the backseat of the vehicle and got f--cked. Now, the vehicle is a fact-finding report. It's deja vu all over again. Only this time, I’m not going to let it happen.

NYC Educator said...

I'm relieved, for myself.

But people who would do anything not to have to teach all day make the very worst supervisors, and the worst teachers as well.

What the hell are they thinking?

Anonymous said...

People who will do anything to get away from the classroom not only do not make very good teachers or supervisors; they don't make very good union leaders either

Anonymous said...

Saw Randi on TV today. She needs to go! I had heard her say last week that we wanted a signed contract in early Oct. Today she is talking about a rally in Nov! Talk about undermining the agenda! She also had the audacity to say, "The UFT has forced Bloomberg to negotiate." How by making him wait 3 years? She said and made certain to emphasize that, "no UFT member wants to strike!" She doesn't speak for me. I wanted the strike when negotiations first broke down. I want the strike if it means giving back the hard fought rights of the union members of the 60's and 70's.
btw when is your next meeting? I want in!

Anonymous said...

I'M RETIRED FROM BAYSIDE HIGHDCHOOL 12 YEARS. THIS PLAIN BULL. WHAT IS RANDI GETTING OUT OF THIS. MY 38 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WHO IS A SINGLE MOTHER NEEDS A DECENT CONTRACT AS DOES THE WHOLE CITY. IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE!! GET RANDI OUT NOW!!

Anonymous said...

My dad IS extremely intelligent. He just doesn't know how to use spellcheck. And I'll be 39 this month.

Anonymous said...

Principals should not be the only ones to review a teachers performance. There should be an independant review, consisting of union members and management, before deciding whether to ruin a teachers career!